w/o Kitch Focaccia Stuffing
My mom said “You could sell this cake and make a lot of money!”
But she’s my mom. And 89 years old. And I’m the kid in charge of her health care directive, so…
Consider the source.
I’ll let you decide how worthy this recipe really is.
If you’re part of the crew…
You know that I’ve been on a quest for Lemon Cake the past month or so. What started as a craving became a stubborn fixation. And after a dozen failed attempts — and too many cakes that were so close — I finally (finally!) cracked the code and can present you with a decent Without Options-style lemon cake.
Creating a cake that’s free from gluten and the top nine food allergens wasn’t easy. Not for me anyway. I’ve had no formal training and I’ve spent the last four decades avoiding sugar as much as possible. But when I get a craving I can get a wee bit obsessed.
A few things I learned along the way…
The brand of flour matters more than you think. For my first attempts at a lemon cake recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 Gluten free Flour (which has been my go-to for years) and kept getting gummy results. So I decided to switch out the flour for King Arthur Brand Gluten-Free to see if it made a difference — and that’s when everything clicked.
I also settled on measuring the flour first, then sifting it. I’m not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I’m guessing it impacts the finished product to some degree. I’m not a baker and was too lazy to google the answer.
If you forget to bring the milk to room temp — like I did, every damn time — a quick 30 seconds or so in the microwave is enough to take the chill off and be considered ‘room temp’ for this recipe. Don’t panic.
And the size bundt pan makes a difference in presentation. The original recipe was baked in a loaf pan and the cake kept turning out concave. Which was not ideal.
So I tried it in my regular heavy duty 10-15 cup Nordic Ware bundt pan, which worked beautifully (not concave!) but looked a little deflated in it’s presentation. Still, it tasted great and was beautifully golden on the outside.
Then I tried baking it in an aluminum 6-cup Nordic Ware bundt pan — which makes the cake look more substantial and photoshoot ready, but was slightly less golden.
Bottom line is: it tastes amazing no matter what pan you use, but it’s safe to say the size and material of the pan will yield slightly different results.
And three things to avoid or your cake will turn out gummy…
Don’t over-mix the batter. When you whisk the wet and dry ingredients together, get to the point where all the flour is incorporated — THEN STOP. The batter may look a little lumpy, but the cake will turn out fine. Promise.
Don’t overcook it. Apparently ‘free-from’ cakes are a lot like Goldilocks. Take it out too soon? Gummy. Cook it 10 minutes more than necessary? Gummy. You need to find the sweet spot and pay attention. Test with a toothpick every 5 minutes or so toward the end of the bake time. Pull the cake out of the oven once a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out dry; and a little poke to the top of the cake springs back.
Don’t let it cool in the pan too long. A long rest time can pull moisture to the edge of the cake and make it gummy. So once the cake is done baking, only let it cool in the pan for 5 — 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely.
Good luck and be sure to share in the comments if you have any feedback or suggestions!
w/o Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
This recipe has been adapted from Katerina Cermelj’s Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake, from her cookbook The Elements of Baking. You’ll probably need a dedicated coffee grinder for this recipe, because finely ground sunflower seeds might be difficult to find. But trust me — the grinder is well worth the investment as I explain in this post.
Since the success of baking anything ‘free-from’ can be so product specific, I’ve listed in parenthesis the exact ingredients I’ve used. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SOURCE THOSE SPECIFIC PRODUCTS. I’m just sharing the products I’ve used that proved to be successful for me. Be sure to source ingredients that are free of gluten and the top nine food allergens to keep it Without Options-style and safe for everyone.
One last note: I wouldn’t advise using coconut milk for this recipe. I think the fat content is probably too high and would also change the flavor of the cake. That said, if you do decide to try it with coconut milk, please pop into the comments and let us know how it turns out!
Ingredients
For the cake:
2 1/3 cups (270g) gluten-free flour, sifted (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour)
¼ cup (25g) finely ground sunflower seeds (you can use a dedicated coffee grinder to make it yourself)
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbsp (20g) poppy seeds (feel free to leave them out if you want a straight-up lemon cake)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
zest from 3 unwaxed lemons
3/4 cup (180g) room-temperature, free-from milk* (I used Oatly Full-fat)
1/2 cup (110g) canola oil
4 Tbsp (60g) lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the glaze:
120g (1 cup) sifted powdered sugar
2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350℉(325℉ convection).
Lightly oil and flour a 6-cup bundt pan. Set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground sunflower seeds, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
Then mix the wet ingredients. Add the sugar and lemon zest to another big bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils. Then add the milk, canola oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and whisk until well-combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently whisk until just combined and the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy. That’s okay! DO NOT over-mix the batter or the cake will turn out gummy.
Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake on middle rack in oven for 30—35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back if you give it a gentle poke.
Remove from oven and let rest for only 5—10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.
To make the glaze:
Once the cake has cooled completely, add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice to the sifted powdered sugar and stir to combine. If necessary, add a little more lemon juice to get it to the right consistency. You want it to be as thick as possible while still being able to drizzle it over the cake. But also? It’s just icing. Don’t stress about it being perfect. Nobody’s grading you.
Use a spoon, fork, or the whisk you stirred it with to drizzle the icing evenly over the cake.
You can wait 15 minutes or so for the icing to set, or just cut yourself a damn piece and enjoy it!
This recipe can easily be made without gluten and the top nine food allergens.
Only nine foods are responsible for about 90% of food allergies in the United States: wheat, milk, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame. It’s your personal responsibility to source safe ingredients, and check the safety of products I recommend (as manufacturer’s can change their formulas at any time without warning). Check out my Food Label Guide to learn how.
Always use safe handling practices when preparing gluten and allergen-free recipes:
Wash hands with soap and water (hand sanitizer does not remove allergens).
Wipe down all surfaces and use clean equipment.
Avoid cross contact of ingredients that aren’t safe and be mindful that allergens can become airborne in flour or powdered form.
Don’t share equipment among recipes. For example: use a dedicated spoon for regular pasta and another for gluten-free pasta — don’t use one spoon to stir both pots.
Clean your grill, use a clean grill pan, or tin foil barrier when preparing a Without Options recipe.
Save the packaging (or snap a photo of the ingredient list) of any processed items you use in a Without Options recipe. You can then share that information with your food sensitive guests if necessary.
Spirits and liquor are exempt from labeling laws and may contain allergens. For this reason, always consult guests before serving them alcohol (whether in a recipe or on it’s own).
Regarding processed ingredients: Always inspect the label of each product, every time, as manufacturer’s recipes and formulas can change (often without warning) and can vary between product size.
